What would you think of police officers who use less force, are named in fewer complaints and lawsuits, are thought of as being more honest and compassionate, and can reach better outcomes for crime victims, especially in sexual assault cases? All good qualities?
Yes, there are many such officers now, but one category excels in all these areas — women. Unfortunately, women currently comprise only 12% of police forces and occupy only 3% of leadership positions in the U.S.
Putting these two paragraphs together, a coalition of police leaders, researchers, and professional organizations have combined to form the 30×30 Initiative. Their goal is simply to get more women into the profession and to support their advance; the name comes from hoping to see women make up 30% of sworn officers by the year 2030. Women of all experiences — ethnicity, class, religion — are welcome, or as their website says: “There is no universal experience of being a woman in law enforcement.” This includes making reasonable accommodations for mothers, caregivers, and pregnant officers.
So with a bit of consciousness-raising and some reasonable accommodations, the 30×30 Initiative should have a major positive effect on law enforcement. For more detail, go to https://30x30initiative.org/,